The Morgan County volleyball team entered the 2024 season with a stress-free mindset.
In 2022, the Spike Dogs won the Class 3A state championship, and last season, they returned a core group with hopes of winning back-to-back titles.
Sadly, Morgan County didn’t live up to expectations due to injuries to key players, although the team still made a deep run in the playoffs.
There’s not as much pressure this year, which is what Morgan County coach head Kathleen Goodwin likes. She feels confident in this year’s squad.
“Yeah, last year was kind of a peculiar season because we had such a strong returning core from our state championship team. But we certainly had a major hiccup with the season-ending injury and loss of Haedyn Crumbley, who’s now our senior captain,” Goodwin said. “So, in a sense, it was a rebuilding year for us in 2023, having graduated three starters from a squad that only has six on a court at a time. But right now, we feel really good about our crew on the court this year.”
Crumbley, Quinn Butler, and Chloe Burns are all seniors who will help lead the way this year. Goodwin highlighted Burns as one of the team’s key pieces alongside Crumbley and Butler.
“So, it’s funny. Everyone also thinks of Quinn and Hayden because they’re the outsides, and they get set so much. However, we also have another senior who’s just been so inconspicuous on the court but so effective, and it’s Chloe Burns,” Goodwin said. “Alongside the other two, she’s committed to go play collegiately. She’s an incredibly talented middle-blocker who’s been a starter since her freshman year and was on the court during our state championship. So, she very much has been an integral, consistent part of our team for the past three years.”
Abby Dennard, E’mariona Johnson, Riley Mitchell, and others will help Morgan County in other ways, including providing depth to the team’s lineup.
The Spike Dogs enter the weekend 9-1 overall and 2-0 in area play. They’ve got key wins over Eagles Landing Christian, Athens Academy, and Prince Avenue Christian, among others. Their only loss was to Sandy Creek.
Morgan County defeated Sandy Creek three times, including in the semifinals when the team won its title two years ago. The Spike Dogs then dropped a match to the Lady Patriots last year and again last week.
“We didn’t play to our level against Sandy Creek. It was at the end of a long tournament,” Goodwin said. “We had a couple of injured girls, so we were working things out. Our mental game needs improvement when we hit those little adversity moments during the season, though.”
Goodwin and her players learned from their recent loss to Sandy Creek. This loss helped propel them into this week, most recently by defeating area opponents Callaway and Westside (Macon).
Goodwin has never lost an area match while being the Spike Dogs’ head coach and doesn’t want that to change.
She said expectations are just as high this year but with no pressure.
“We want to continue to secure that region to set us up as well as possible to be as successful as we can in the postseason,” Goodwin said. “And I mean, I don’t think it’s a secret that we want to be back at LakePoint in November, playing in a state championship. And with our crew, I don’t think that’s out of the realm. In fact, I largely expect it because of the quality of play, but a lot can happen in a season. So, we’ve got to keep our heads focused and continue to grow as a team.”